


I'll Always Come When You Call

by eshcaine



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Christmas, Cutie pies, First Kiss, Halloween, Holiday Kisses, M/M, Past Lisa Braeden/Dean Winchester, Sweet, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-14
Updated: 2015-02-14
Packaged: 2018-03-12 21:01:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3355130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eshcaine/pseuds/eshcaine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first kiss was an accident.<br/>The second kiss was a surprise.....</p><p>And the third kiss?</p><p>Dean meets Castiel in 5th grade and they become best friends.....<br/>.....until Dean makes a big mistake in high school.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Always Come When You Call

**Author's Note:**

  * For [theimportanceofbeingvictoria](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theimportanceofbeingvictoria/gifts).



> This fic is a gift to the lovely Miss V, because she tossed out a prompt once and the fic that came back didn’t quite live up to expectation.
> 
> Hopefully this one will make her happier. =)

 

 

**SEPTEMBER**

The first time Dean Winchester got detention, he was ten years old and it was the second week of fifth grade. He had already established himself as a charming mischief-maker, so when he launched a paper airplane across the room during Math his teacher Mr. Turner wasn’t surprised. When he followed that up with bombarding the entire class in twenty paper airplanes, he gave him detention.

The second time Dean got Detention it was because he managed to release the guinea pigs from their cages to run free between the student’s feet and desks. It was a mere two days later.

Mr. Turner decided to preempt a third time and he called Dean’s parents in for a meeting. By the end of that meeting it was decided to give Dean a series of tests and at the end of the month Dean was taken out of Mr. Turner’s class and placed into Miss Milton’s gifted program. Mr. Turner said Dean was too bright and creative, and he needed to have that brain channeled into a more challenging curriculum.

This is how, on September 21st, Dean came to sit next to Castiel Novak.

At first the boys did not get along. Castiel had a snarky rebuttal for every one of Dean’s snappy one-liners, and Dean didn’t back down from Castiel’s unwavering stares. When things came to a head a week later and the boys got into an actual fight during lunch period – Castiel had shoved Dean against a wall in spite of his shorter stature – the boys wound up in detention together.

That afternoon, as the two boys sat sullen and fuming in Miss Milton’s empty classroom, the wind changed.

A storm, a small one, pulled up out of nowhere and the school found itself suddenly under the formation of a small tornado. As Miss Milton stood up from her desk to corral the boys to safety, the windows were blown in. Cas had ducked under the table the moment he saw Miss Milton stand, but Dean just turned to look out of the window in a moment of natural curiosity. Just reacting and not thinking, Castiel had grabbed Dean and pulled him under their table, saving Dean from the shattering glass.

As they sat in the infirmary being fussed over by the EMTs, neither boy could look away from the other in an unspoken apology for their previous behaviour. From that day foreword, Dean and Castiel were inseparable.

 

 

 

**OCTOBER**

“Cas! Cas!” Dean came barreling down the hallway, his eyes just as bright as his beaming smile. Balled in his fists were the cowl and cape to the Batman Halloween costume he was wearing and two canvas trick-or-treat bags. He pulled up short in front of his best friend, a laugh of excitement just barely held inside him.

“Hello Dean.” Castiel nodded to his friend, his usual small smile growing just a touch wider with Dean’s nearly nuclear level of excitement charging the air around them. Castiel was already in his costume: an over sized suit that used to belong to his older brother Michael and a rumpled trench coat Cas had bought at the thrift store. A blue necktie hung crooked around his neck.

“The party is starting in the lunchroom….is that your costume?!” Dean walked around Cas as he stood still, submitting to Dean’s inspection.

“Yes. I’m Detective Columbo.” Castiel reached up and ran his fingers roughly through his hair, making it stick up more than it normally did.

“Man, you’ve been watching those old TV shows with your Uncle Joshua too much.” Dean laughed and took his hand up to muss Cas’ hair even more. “C’mon, I brought you a bag for candy…. They’ve got bobbing for apples and other games set up… and Sam’s class is in there too!”

Castiel’s smile grew more. He was becoming fond of Dean’s brother Sam. They could talk about ‘nerd stuff’ according to Dean, even though Dean was just as big of a nerd when it came to mechanical things and electronics. He took one of the canvas bags from Dean and both boys walked to the lunchroom.

The space had been cleared of all the tables in the middle, and decorations had been set up. There were snacks and punch, and games all around the room. Other members of Dean and Castiel’s class were there already, Benny, Victor and Charlie. Dean grabbed hold of Castiel’s coat sleeve and tugged the other boy deeper into the room. Children from every grade were all over, laughing, squealing and chattering. There were teachers scattered throughout, also dressed in costumes.

Dean pulled Castiel along over to where Sam was standing with his friends from his own class as they talked to Charlie. There was Garth, a gangly boy with an ever-present wide smile, and Andy, a quiet kid who doodled cartoon dragons all over his school papers. Sam was dressed Superman, Garth as a Texas Ranger, Andy was a wizard and Charlie was costumed inside a big papier-mâché’ ham. The friends meandered around; snatching up cookies when they were offered and then making their way to a ring toss game. Dean won that one easily.

And then Sam won at the apple bobbing. Unafraid to dunk his whole head into the water and get wet since his cape was actually a big red towel. Sam used it to dry his head when he was done, grinning while chomped down on his fruit prize as he did so.

After several other games, Dean and Castiel found themselves among a group preparing to play Pin-The-Tail-On-The-Donkey.

“Go on Cas! You have crazy x-rays eyes. You can win this!” Dean nudged Cas forward.

“Dean I do not have x-ray eyes. And besides, your aim is much better.” Castiel pulled the pineapple-flavored lollipop out of his mouth then reached for one of the blindfolds out of Miss Mosley’s hands.

Cas stepped in close and turned Dean around, bringing the old scarf up to bind around Dean’s eyes. Once it was tied and secure, Castiel brought Dean around to stand in front of the picture of the Donkey. It was fuzzy with Velcro. Miss Mosley placed a fabric donkey tail in Dean’s hand, it too being made of the rough Velcro fabric.

The other children around them giggled and hushed each other. Castiel held on to Dean’s shoulders and started to turn Dean around and around, spinning him slightly. At one point Castiel moved with Dean to disorient him further to make it more of a challenge.

Dean’s grin grew and then waivered as he became a little dizzy. When Castiel let go, Dean’s arms wheeled out, his hands reaching out in front of him. “Whoa…” Dean wobbled and took a step, then another.

Abruptly Dean swerved, stumbled and reached out to grab hold of the first thing he could. In seconds he was falling and then suddenly as he tipped face forward he felt his lips meet someone else’s. Those lips were warm and soft and wonderful, and feeling them against Dean’s own brought a whirl of sweet warmth fluttering through Dean’s insides.

Just as swiftly as they had connected, the lips were gone and Dean was being jerked back by the scruff of his collar. The blindfold was whisked off his face and Dean found himself near nose to nose with his best friend, Castiel.

Cas’ eyes were wide with surprise, and his cheeks were the color of ripe red apples.

“Mr. Winchester! I do not know what shenanigans you are up to, but I will not have you kissing the other students here in the lunchroom.” Miss Mosley, her hand on Dean’s shoulder now, was pulling Dean back away from Castiel. “Especially without their consent.”

Miss Mosley guided Dean away firmly toward the other teachers and in direct contrast to her disapproving frown, Dean’s face was glowing like a jack-o-lantern. When he licked his lips, he tasted pineapple.

 

 

 

The first time Dean kissed Castiel it was an accident.

The first time Castiel kissed Dean, it was even more of a surprise.

 

 

 

**DECEMBER**

Their class’ Christmas party was much like other school Christmas parties. On the last day of class before break they would sing carols, play games and in Miss Milton’s class, trade small paper stockings they had made. A few days before they had used their art time and Miss Milton had shown them how to cut out two coloured paper stockings to glue together. They had decorated them with glitter and cotton balls and paint. And they had written their friends names on each one they made. Then Miss Milton had them write little notes to their friends, telling them Happy Holidays and other good wishes.

Dean had made four paper stockings: one for Benny, one for Victor, one for Charlie and one for Castiel.

On Benny’s he had drawn a sailboat on the ocean, and then drawn Santa as a pirate standing on its deck. For Victor he had scribbled all the Reindeer, making Rudolf’s nose bright and shining with red glitter. For Charlie had had drawn hobbits wearing red and green scarves all standing in cotton ball snow.

But for Castiel, Dean had drawn an angel. It looked fierce, with wide inspiring wings and bright blue eyes. He even at first gave the angel a silver sword, but then scribbled it into looking like a trumpet horn instead. He left a very simple note inside and thumb tacked the stocking with the others up on the bulletin board.

When it came time to share the stockings, the students were all laughter and noise. Miss Milton passed the stockings around, and Dean wound up with four, one each from his friends Benny, Victor and Charlie. The last one was from Castiel, and Dean held it close when it was given to him.

He and Cas were seated next to each other along with the rest of their class in a semi circle around the little tree they had decorated together.

“Okay, you guys can look inside your stockings and read your notes. While you do that I’m going to start passing around the cupcakes Victor’s mom made….” Miss Milton smiled and patted Victor’s head as she walked past him. It made Victor grumble and smile all at the same time.

The moment Miss Milton stepped away, the children nearly tore into their paper stockings.

Dean opened Benny’s first, the outside also with pirates drawn all over it. Inside Benny had written, “Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg, Batmobile lost its wheel and the Joker got away!” Dean laughed and stuck out his tongue at Benny when the other boy pointed and laughed right back.

The stocking Victor had made for him just had “Dean’s a dork ha ha ha ha!” on the note, but Victor had also shoved a candy cane inside too, so Dean didn’t complain. The stocking from Charlie had little robots drawn all over the outside and the note inside was a list of their Mario Cart scores from when Dean would go over to Charlie’s house and play.

When Castiel’s stock for him was the last left, Dean glanced over to Cas sitting beside him. Castiel’s head was bent down reading what Charlie had sent to him, and Dean noticed that Cas had saved Dean’s stocking for last as well.

Nervous, Dean carefully opened the stocking Cas had given him. The outside was a drawing of Dean’s Dad’s 1967 Chevy Impala, a car the Dean loved almost as much as Dean loved his brother Sam. Castiel had used silver glitter on all the chrome and the wheels to make it shine. Inside was a simple folded note that said, “You are my best friend Dean. I will always come when you call.”

The smile the broke out across Dean’s face felt like it would be warm enough to melt the whole of Kansas’ winter.

When Dean looked up, Cas was sitting quietly watching Dean, his blue eyes smiling more than the rest of his face.

“Go on Cas….” Dean said and the words came out much softer than he expected. “Open the one from me.”

Castiel gave a little nod and looked down to the last stocking he was holding. He ran his fingers over the drawing of the angel and his voice was so low and hushed Dean almost didn’t hear him. “This is a very nice drawing Dean. I like it very much.”

Dean felt as if his smile was going to split his face. He nudged Castiel a little with his elbow and they leaned closer together as Castiel pulled the little note from within the stocking.

Castiel opened it up and gave a tiny gasp when he read what was inside. Cas’ head came up and suddenly his arms were flung around Dean’s shoulders. Castiel’s lips met Dean’s in a surprising quick but firm press, and then Castiel was hugging Dean close, gripping tight.

Dean went still, his green eyes bright and blinking with surprise. The same wonderful warmth was washing through him again, making him feel like someone had filled him with Christmas tree lights. He was halfway hugging Castiel back when Cas wiggled away and stood up. Castiel bit his lip and ran off to where the other children were getting cookies and punch.

Dean stood up and let that Christmas tree light feeling just beam out in his smile.

Castiel hid a shy smile behind a cookie, and clutched the note from Dean close to his heart.

Inside it read, “I need you Cas, you’re family.”

 

 

 

When Dean and Cas finally kissed each other, it wasn’t a surprise or an accident. It was premeditated, executed with singular purpose and it took six more years before it happened.

 

 

 

Lawrence Kansas Senior High School  
**FEBRUARY**

Dean was in the process of shoving his books roughly into his locker when he felt a heavy hand fall on his shoulder. Dean glanced back with a scowl to find Benny frowning at him. Dean sighed, finished cramming his books into his locker and then slammed the door closed.

“Whoa there brutha, I know you aren’t in a good mood but….” Benny began.

“Not in a good mood?! Seriously Benny?!” Dean glowered and tugged on his jacket. “I failed the history pop quiz, I accidentally dropped my art project…. Which is going to set me back another weekend’s worth of work… Coach doesn’t want me on second base anymore, I missed lunch because I went and talked to Coach in the first place….”

Dean kept ranting as the two of them began walking down the hall towards their last class of the day, English. Benny said nothing and just listened as Dean unloaded from the genuinely bad day he was having.

“And then there is this!” Dean gestured with irritation as they walked in the door to the classroom. Dean was referring to the couple sitting in the front of the classroom, leaning in close as they whispered and held hands.

Benny frowned in confusion. “Since when do you have a problem with Becky and Chuck?”

Dean grimaced. “Eugh, it’s not them exactly…. It’s the whole lovely dovey romancy shit. And because it’s early February and Valentine’s Day is coming up and the whole thing is just disgusting.”

Benny chuckled then, rolled his eyes and slipped into his seat at the back of the room. Dean took the one beside Benny and flopped his reading homework, his composition notebook and his pens down on the desktop.

“Jeeze Dean, I thought you said you liked Valentine’s Day. All th’ sexy flirtin’ an all. All the hot making out and….” Benny laid his own notebooks down on his desk.

“I was fifteen then Benny, and an idiot.” Dean slumped in his chair, folded his arms and scowled. “A big idiot…”

“Yea, an idiot who lost his virginity last Valentine’s Day to a senior, Lisa Braden. And a bendy hot senior at that. I still don’t get why you are so sour on the holiday.” Benny shook his head and threw a side eyed glance at Dean.

Dean grumbled under his breath and looked away. Last year he was stupid and reckless and had done something dumb like let his hormones get the better of him. And because of his actions, he had learned later that he had messed things up between he and Castiel.

They had been friends since 5th grade. Best friends. Shared everything with each other. When Dean had hit puberty and discovered the joys of sexual stimuli, he had started to chase after girls. Castiel had been steadfastly by his side but had never said anything to Dean about his opinions on the matter. Up until then it seemed like Castiel didn’t care what Dean did in his dating life.

But then he had bragged about Lisa and having sex for the first time. Everything changed.

His best friend ever for life was now no longer his best friend. Dean hadn’t understood, didn’t grasp why Cas would be so upset. They had shared two childish kisses as kids and after that nothing else. Dean had decided that Cas just saw him as a friend, and had chalked up those kisses to just Cas being sweetly affectionate and not thinking they meant more.

When Dean saw the hurt look on Castiel’s face after being with Lisa, Dean realized he didn’t just love Cas. He LOVED Castiel. He remembered how those innocent kisses had made his heart soar and he knew in that moment looking at Castiel what his own feelings had meant.

But Dean still didn’t know why Cas had looked that way. So dejected and disappointed, so lost.

Dean only knew he had tried for a year to make things right again. But somehow he had blown it over and over again. Botched apologies where he would never say the right words, or no words would come out at all. Made Castiel angry or despondent as Dean tried to patch up their friendship to the way it had been. With each failure Castiel had withdrawn away until last summer, they had stopped being friends all together.

It had torn Dean up. Cas was Dean’s best friend and Dean loved him.

And that was the problem.

The look on Cas’ face haunted Dean, and Dean was certain that he didn’t deserve Cas in his life now for causing that much hurt to another person as wonderful as Castiel.

Dean was pulled from his thoughts as the teacher entered the room and began the discussion on the book they were reading, Vonnegut’s ‘Slaughter House Five’. Outside it began to snow, and Dean hoped the cold would finally freeze away his heart.

The snow only lasted two days, and then melted away in a warm snap that passed through.

Valentine’s Day came, and with it a dance at school on Friday night. There was a DJ, and refreshments, and the gym had been decorated with red balloons and giant red hearts.

Dean sat off to one side, his whole demeanor sunken and melancholy. He and Benny had driven there together, and he’d promised Benny he would lighten up. But Benny was off talking to the new girl Andrea while Charlie was chatting up some other dark haired girl by the punch bowl and Victor was over talking to their Gym teacher. With his friends off enjoying themselves, Dean let himself sink back into the shadows.

“Oh my god Dean you are being such a butt.” Sam shoved at Dean’s chair playfully but roughly.

“Isn’t it past your bedtime Sasquatch?” Dean grumbled but there was no heat in it.

“Ha. Ha. So funny, jerk.” Sam flopped down in the seat next to Dean.

“Bitch.” Dean shot back. After a pause, “No really what are you doing here?”

“Look around, the middle school is part of this thing tonight too. Budget cuts or something I guess.” Sam chuckled. “Mom dropped me off. Garth is here somewhere.”

“Hmmm.” Dean nodded and looked down at his feet.

“Look, I’m gonna go catch up with him and see if we can bug the DJ.” Sam stood up and lightly punched Dean in the shoulder. “You should go find Cas.”

Dean frowned, “And do what?”

“Dean, you guys used to be…” Sam sighed, as if he had something specific on his mind.

“Look I know you and Cas are friends through your volunteer work and the pet shelter, and…” Dean sighed heavily, “It’s great you guys are still friends. But me an’ Cas….” Dean just shook his head and looked down.

Sam sighed, frustrated and punched Dean in the arm again. When he didn’t take his hand away, Dean glanced up at his brother. Sam was smiling now, big and wide so much so that Sam’s dimples were cutting deep into his cheeks. He nudged Dean again with his hand, and that’s when Dean saw Sam was trying to hand him a folded piece of paper.

Reluctantly, Dean took it from Sam. “What’s this?”

“Just read it you big dork.” Sam laughed and then trotted off into the crowd.

Dean unfolded the paper and skimmed the words there, then stopped. His hands began to tremble just a little, and this time he read the note over carefully.

 

_‘Dean,_

_Once I told you I would always come when you called._

_I need you to go to the roof of the band room and call me._

_-Cas’_

 

Dean swallowed and stood abruptly. This was unexpected. Was Cas going to give payback for what Dean had done with Lisa last year? He knew Cas was hanging out with Meg Masters a lot this school year, and knew the rumors of how she was really into him. Were they dating now? Was Castiel going to gloat that he had his first time with Meg? Dean felt queasy. He half crumpled the note and shoved it into his pocket.

The roof of the band room was easy to access. During the day all the stoners and the rebel kids would hang out up there because of the way the building was designed, no one could see you when you were up there.

Dean didn’t know what waited for him on that roof, but he decided he would just go and get it over with. He left the gym and made his way quickly around the outside to the fire escape that would take him up to the roof of the band room.

When Dean climbed over the edge of the wall that rimmed the roof, he was expecting to see a lot of things. He expected to see Cas and Meg rolling around on a blanket. Or maybe Castiel setting fire to all the things Dean had given him over the years, dumping them into one of the metal drums that the kids built fires in.

What he was not expecting to find as his feet crunched against the gravel flat roof, was the entire area to be lit up with thousands of tiny sparkling white lights. He was not expecting the little portable turntable playing music, or the rug and pillows strewn out right next to that.

Dean’s nerves amplified and he swallowed hard again. He looked around, and didn’t see anyone up here. But there were huge air conditioning units on the roof and service sheds, so Cas could be hidden.

Dean paused beside the record player and cleared his throat. He opened his mouth once and couldn’t get any words out. He wiped his open palms against the fabric of his jeans and tried again.

“Uh, Cas?” His voice came out halted, shy. So he took a deep breath and called out, “CAS?”

“Hello Dean.”

Dean spun around to find Cas standing behind him, a pleased smile on his face at obviously managing to sneak up on Dean.

But Dean’s heart was stopped in his chest. He hadn’t seen Cas much this year, their class schedules not overlapping at all. And now, here he was standing in front of Dean and Dean could only blink dumbly. Had Castiel been that tall before? He was almost as tall as Dean now. Had Cas’ shoulders been that wide? Had he been this filled out and toned before? Had Cas’ hair always looked so artfully tussled, as if he had just rolled out of a hot make-out session? Sweet mother of mercy, Dean thought, when did Castiel get so hot?

Dean fiddled with the note, his hand half inside his pocket. Was this Castiel’s revenge then? To show Dean how he’d grown into this handsome young man? To taunt Dean with what Dean couldn’t have but truly wanted?

Dean simply nodded, answering his own questions with a silent yes. He dropped his eyes and looked at his shoes. “Uh, yea. Hey Cas…. I um… did… what you asked.” Dean pulled the rumpled note from his pocket but didn’t look up. “I called… for you.”

Castiel took one step, then another. He slowly walked around Dean until he stood directly in front of his old friend. “Do you know why you are up here Dean?”

Dean just shook his head no, and kept his eyes on the note in his hand.

“Dean….?” Castiel stepped closer, so close that Dean could feel the warmth flowing off Castiel between them. “Dean.”

When Dean didn’t move, Castiel placed his hands ever so gently on the either side of Dean’s face and coaxed Dean to look up. Once Dean’s eyes met Castiel’s, Cas just held his hands there and didn’t move.

“Do you remember the Halloween Party in fifth grade?” Cas asked. His voice was a low delightful rumble and his eyes were soft and deep. “Pin the tail on the donkey?”

“Y…yes.” Dean murmured, his own green eyes wide and shining but still apprehensive.

“And do you remember our Christmas paper stocking exchange at school that year too?” Castiel brought their faces a little closer and his eyes dropped to Dean’s mouth.

“Yes….” Dean’s heart began to pick up, “You… um, kissed me.”

Castiel smiled then, so sweetly, the memory obviously playing back in his head. “I never wanted to leave your side Dean.”

“And I messed it all up…” Dean felt his eyes grow watery.

“And you apologized even though you had nothing to apologize for.” Castiel sighed and brought their foreheads to rest against each other. “I was angry and hurt, but I had no right to be. We weren’t a couple. I had never told you how I felt… how I still feel…. so how could you know?” Castiel paused, “I kept silent all that time and I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry I chased you away Dean.”

“I’m sorry too Cas, sorry I was so….” Dean didn’t get to finish. Castiel hushed him with a light finger laid to Dean’s lips.

“It doesn’t matter now.” Cas took in a breath, “Meg told me I was being a self righteous stuck-up….”

“You’ve never been any of those things Cas!” Dean defended, Castiel’s finger slipping to Dean’s chin with the determination of it. “I was the one who screwed up. I was the one who kept making it worse. I’m the one who doesn’t deserve…..”

“Dean….” Castiel leaned back just a bit so he could look Dean in the eyes. At first Cas looked cross and frustrated, but then the look morphed into something else. Castiel just held there a moment, his eyes roaming over Dean’s face.

“I’m going to kiss you now Dean Winchester. Properly this time. Not by accident and not shyly. I’m not going to stop abruptly, I’m not going to pull away.” Castiel stated this and waited a moment.

Dean’s answer was a quick nod and a moment later he was closing his eyes and closing the short distance to meet Castiel halfway. Their lips met and Dean’s heart sang.

The sweetness from the previous two kisses was replaced now with the fire that had been smoldering unspoken between them for the last few years. They caught each other up, held each other close and tight. It was with such joy that Dean felt as if he might cry from it. They smiled into the kiss and it lead to another and another and another.

They kissed and the record stopped playing.

They kissed and the temperature began to drop around them and snow began to drift lightly through the air.

They kissed until their hair was damp with it.

And even then they kept kissing, the cold never touching the warmth that was wrapping around them, between them, through them.

They kissed until Dean’s phone buzzed with a call from Sam, and then they broke apart still clinging a little to one another and smiling brighter than the dawn.

“I have to take Sammy home.” Dean breathed the words against Castiel’s temple. “Can we move this party to my car? We can drop Sam off and…..”

Castiel shook his head gently, “There’s always tomorrow Dean. I need to take down these lights…..pack up this stuff.”

“But Cas….” Dean protested.

“Dean.” Castiel kissed Dean once, quick and firm. “We have our whole lives now. I’m not going anywhere without you.”

Dean nodded and smiled. “You’re right. I’ll always need you Cas. You’re my best friend….”

Castiel squeezed Dean’s hand in his own. “And I’ll always come when you call.”

 

 

_**~*fin*~** _


End file.
